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Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
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Flexible coherent control of plasmonic spin-Hall effect
Shiyi Xiao1, Fan Zhong2, Hui Liu2
1School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Nature Communications
|September 30, 2015
Summary
Researchers developed a new method to control surface plasmon orbitals using light polarization. This breakthrough enables complex plasmonic functionalities for advanced optoelectronic devices and microscopy.
Area of Science:
- Plasmonics and Nanophotonics
- Optoelectronics and Metasurfaces
Background:
- Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are crucial for miniaturizing optoelectronic circuits.
- Existing metasurface techniques exploit SPP spin but struggle with complex, independent spin-dependent profiles.
- Generating coherent, arbitrary SPP profiles for both spins simultaneously is a key challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for generating arbitrary spin-dependent surface plasmon orbital profiles.
- To enable coherent superposition of inward and outward SPP profiles for enhanced functionality.
- To demonstrate tunable control over plasmonic behaviors using light polarization.
Main Methods:
- Matching geometric phases of nano-slots on silver to specific SPP profile superimpositions.
- Utilizing the spin degree of freedom of surface plasmon polaritons.
- Varying the linear polarization angle of incident light to control orbital generation.
Main Results:
- Arbitrary spin-dependent orbital profiles were generated in a slot-free region.
- Demonstrated coherent superposition of inward and outward SPP profiles for both spins.
- Achieved dynamic control, creating 'motion pictures' by changing polarization angle.
Conclusions:
- The developed spin-enabled control of plasmonic orbitals offers unprecedented flexibility.
- This technique overcomes limitations in generating complex, independent spin-dependent SPP profiles.
- Potential applications include advanced microscopy, data storage, plasmonic tweezers, and integrated optics.
